FBI: San Jose man who believed he was working with Taliban arrested trying to blow up Oakland Bank

FBI: San Jose man who believed he was working with Taliban arrested trying to blow up Oakland Bank of America branch

Matthew Aaron Llaneza bragged to his accomplice that after blowing up a Bank of America branch in Oakland, "he would dance with joy." Then after an act of terrorism that Llaneza hoped would be blamed on anti-government militias, federal officials say, he planned to flee to Afghanistan and train Taliban fighters.

But Llaneza's co-conspirator was not, as he believed, a member of the Taliban. He was an undercover FBI agent, and that's why early Friday morning, Llaneza, a 28-year-old San Jose resident and former Marine, was arrested after federal authorities say he attempted to detonate a car bomb that they had secretly rendered inoperable as part of a months-long sting.

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Llaneza made his initial appearance in federal court on Friday morning and was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

14. Entrapment, that's how they justify their existence.

16. I don't love the tactic

But I prefer it to the idea of one of these soulless RW dickheads hooking up with someone who actually does have the desire and the means to kill scores of innocents in an effort to stir up civil war.

Would you prefer that this guy found a way to work with someone like that instead? I'd rather someone identify him as a potentially serious threat and get him off the street when it's proved that he would kill innocents given the opportunity.

11. Wonder what the body count he wanted would have been. Glad he didn't get what he wanted.

12. This is your tax money at work.

Court records stemming from a 2011 weapons conviction show the one-time Marine likely suffered from mental illness that included bouts of paranoia, suicidal tendencies, hallucinations and voices in his head, and he had a vast working knowledge of weaponry.

Those same records show that Llaneza's father long had concerns about his son's stability, keeping him at arm's length after he returned to San Jose from several years living with grandparents in Arizona and having abruptly converted to Islam.

15. the FBI seems to be a more prolific recruiter for the Taliban than the Taliban is.. *nt

19. I'm with the FBI on this one..

OAKLAND -- Matthew Aaron Llaneza bragged to his accomplice that after blowing up a Bank of America branch in Oakland, "he would dance with joy." Then after an act of terrorism that Llaneza hoped would be blamed on anti-government militias, federal officials say, he planned to flee to Afghanistan and train Taliban fighters.

Friday's complaint against Llaneza describes him as a detail-oriented person intent on an eye-catching act of terrorism that he believed would foment civil unrest. Court records in Santa Clara County

Seemingly set the foundation for those thoughts after he was convicted in 2011 for illegally having an AK-47 assault rifle and accompanying high-capacity magazines he purportedly purchased and registered in Arizona.

21. It seems the weapon was legal in AZ but not in CA

I could go out and buy a fully automatic weapon with a Suppressor(silencer), and do it legally. There is a ClassIII dealer about 10 minutes from here. All I have to do is pass a background check and pay a Transfer Tax on the weapon and Suppressor. It is legal to own such a weapon in Maine. Now, If I move to MA and take that legal weapon with me, if caught, I would be arrested and likely sent to prison.

To the FBI, this would not be an issue, since, under Federal Law, the weapon is legally purchased and Transfer Tax paid. The violation would be of State Law.